Thursday, February 04, 2010

Over at SEIU.org is a fact check on Rep. John Kline's opening statements at the House Education and Labor Committee Hearing with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. His comments reads like a failing report put together by a disinterested student minutes before it's due. Instead of citing sources and being accurate, Kline gives us more of the political gamemanship and partisan retortic that is hurting working families and accomplishing nothing.

The article shows that Rep. John Kline runs to the aid of Big Corporations while kicking working Minnesotans to the curve. Wouldn't it be nice if Kline actually did his homework for a change and got the facts straight? And wouldn't it be even better if our elected official actually fought for the working families instead of billionaire corporations?

"Claim: Representative Kline (R-Minn.) said current policies run counter to job creation.

FACT: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has created more than 12,200 jobs in Minnesota with more than $9 million awarded to-date to his hometown of Lakeville. (Source: www.recovery.gov)Claim: Representative Kline said that policies like the Employee Free Choice Act would harm small businesses and workers.

FACT: Corporate CEOs obviously want to hold on to a system that works for them. But no one has anything to fear from a process that is fair, neutral, and promotes compromise instead of confrontation. By allowing neutral, independent auditors to decide a deal that works for everyone if the parties fail to reach a mutual agreement, this bill ensures that everyone benefits from America's prosperity, not just CEOs. It protects workers' right to choose whether or not they want to form a union and ensures that CEOs can't intimidate workers or delay elections to deny workers' rights. And it gives workers a chance to get a fair deal, providing them with the raises they need and deserve. (Source: House Education and Labor Committee)Claim: Representative Kline said that efforts to create green jobs only benefited labor unions. He has even introduced HR 2026, designed to siphon funds away from joint labor-management training programs to ones created solely by industry.

FACT: Under the Independent Energy and Security Act, labor management partnerships are eligible to receive funding for job training programs. This law ensures that workers are an equal partner and are eligible for green job training funds. Creating new green jobs, and finding way to do existing jobs like building cleaning in a new green way, will drive the development of new, green jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced. Everyone benefits from career paths to good paying jobs and from a green economy, not just businesses and not just labor unions. (Source: House Education and Labor Committee; www.bluegreenalliance.org)REP. JOHN KLINE -- BAD FOR WORKING FAMILIES "